Car-brake



No. 748,605. 1 ,PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

A. S..HODGES.

GAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 1903.

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PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

A. s. HODGES.

' GAR BRAKE. APPIfIl JATION FILED APR. 25, 1903.

3 SHEETS-'SHEET 2.

1W0 MODEL.

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PATBNTED JAN. 5, 1904.

' A. s; HODGES.

GAR BRAKE.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 25, 1903.

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H0 MODEL.

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THE mums warms co. PHOTO-LITHOII WASHINGTON. a. c.

UNITED STATES Patented January 5, 1904.

' PATENT OFFICE.

OAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming. part of Letters Patent N 0. 748,605, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed April 25, 1903. Serial No. 154,266. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADDISON S. Houses, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad-car brakes for tramway-cars actuated by steam, electricity, or other propelling power; and it consists in mechanism for forcing a brake device against the track or roadbed for the purpose of stopping the car or train in an emergency in the shortest time possible, as will hereinafter be more fullyshown and described, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car provided with my improved brake device, showing the brake-shoe in its normal position raised above the track, parts being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of Fig. 1, showing the brake-shoe forced downward against the track. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the car-frame and the improved brake device. the brake device, showing the brake-lever-retaining plate removed. Fig. 5 is atop plan view of the brake device, showing the brakelever-retaining plate and the longitudinallyexpansive locking-plates removed. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6 6 shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the brake device.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the dilterent parts of the drawings. I

My invention is what I term an emergency-brake, for the purpose of instantly stopping a car or train in an emergency, independent of other brake devices that may be employed; and it consists of a brake-shoe adapted to be forced against the track or road-bed and thereby partially raising the four inner car-wheels above the rails, so as to cause the car or train who stopped in the shortest. time possible by the frictional resistance of the brake-shoe against the track or road-bed without throwing the outer wheels off the rails. I

In the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, A represents a railroad-car body of any well-known Figs. 1 and '2.

Fig. -1 is a top plan view of size or construction, on which E is the carframe, and O the car-floor, as usual.

D D represent the truck-frames, as usual, in bearings of which are journaled the wheels E E and E E, as shown.

F is the track or road-bed, which may be made of any Well-known form or construction, and G G are the rails, as usual.

6 e and e e are the axles of the respective car-wheels E E and E E, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3.

Beneath the car-frame 'B is secured to it, preferably by means of supports or hangers h h, alongitudinal metal beam H, to the ends of which are secured metal yokes h h, in which the axles e e of the wheels E E are received and guided, as shown in Fig. 2. To the ends of the metal beam H are pivoted links I I by means of bolts 7) i going through slots c" z" in the upper ends of said links, as shown in The lower ends of. said links are pivotally connected by means of bolts or pins k k to preferably serrated brake-shoes K K, having longitudinal slots k 7c, through which the bolts 1c it pass loosely.

Between the serrated brake-shoes K K are located intermediate brake-shoes L L, pi voted on the bolts k is and preferably made pointed at their ends, as shown at Z Z in Fig. 7.

To the bolts is are pivotally connected levers M M, which are vertically adjustable through perforations h"-h" in the beam H,

as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

On the top of the metal beam Hare located longitudinally-adjustable locking-plates N N, having slotted perforations 'n n, through which the upper ends of the lovers M M extend, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. The plates N N are guided upon the beam H by means of pins or screws h h, secured to the said beam and projecting through slots 12" n" in the plates N N, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. Each of the levers M is provided with a notch or recess m, adapted to interlock with the outer end of the slot '92 on the longitudinally-adjustable plates N N when the said levers M Mare raised and the locking-plates N N moved inward, as shown in Fig. 1, in which position the brake-shoes are held raised above the track or road-bed, as represented in Fig. 1.

Above the longitudinally-adjustable locking-plates N N is located a stationary brakedevice-retaining plate 0, which is secured to the adjustable locking-plate N N, by means of screws 0 O, passing loosely through longitudinal slots 0 O in the ends of said retaining-plate O, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Through the middle portion of the plate 0 is made a perforation 0 through which the screw-threaded brake-actuating screwbolt P is loosely inserted during the operation of the brake device, as will hereinafter be described.

Q is a pressure plate or head normally supported and resting on the brake-shoes L L and having forked recesses q g at its ends for receivingthe levers M M, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6.

The screw-bolt P is detachable and when not in use may be placed on the car-floor O, as shown in Fig. 3. When in use, it is inserted through a perforation in the floor of the car and screwed through a screw-threaded perforation h in the beam H, as shown in Fig. 2, until its lower end is caused to bear against the top of the pressure-plate Q, causing the brake-shoes K K and L to be forced with proper pressure against the track or road-bed and causing the wheels E E to be slightly raised out of contact with the rails G G, and thereby causing the car to be stopped independent of other brake devices that may be employed on the car. The slots 10 It in the ends of the brake-shoes K K, in connection with the pivotbolts k it, serve as means for limiting the downward adjustment of the brake-shoes by the pressure-screw P as the latter is forced downward during the setting of the brake.

In practice I make on the upper side of the locking-plates N N handles or projections 72 them in the notches m m on the levers M M,

when the latter are raised to the inoperative position with the brake-shoes, as shown in Fig. 1. In a similar manner I make perforations 0 O in the floor O, as shown in Fig. 2, through which the upper ends of the levers M M may be reached by means of a suitable hook or tool when desired to raise the brake device from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1. Normally the perforations C C O C may be closed by suitable covers of any well-known shape or construction.

The screw-threaded portion of the pressurebolt P is screwed through a female-screwthreaded perforation h in the metal beam H and its lower end forced against the pressureplate Q when setting the brake-shoes against the track or road-bed, as illustrated in Fig. 2. When the brake device is not in use, the said screw-bolt P is removed and placed on the floor of the car or in any other suitable or convenient part of the car, as shown in Fig. 3. The brake-shoes are then raised by taking hold of the levers M M and raising them upward to the position shown in Fig. 1, after which the lockingplates N N are moved toward each other, so as to cause the outer ends of the slots at n to enter the slots m m on the levers M M, as shown in Fig. 1, in which position said levers are held interlocked and prevented from moving toward each other by resting against the ends of the slots 0 O on the retainingplate 0, thus holding said levers and their brake-shoes raised and securely locked in such inoperative positions.

If it is desired to set the brake, the screwspindle P is placed in the position shown in Fig. 2, and in so doing its lower rounded or conical end causes the locking-plates N N to spread apart sufficiently to cause them to be released from the notches m m on the levers M M, thus also releasing the brake-shoes, after which the pressure bolt P is screwed down ward against the pressure plate or head Q until the brake-shoes are forced with desired resistance against the road-bed or track, causing the Weight of the car and contents to be supported on the brake-shoes, thus causing the car to be instantly arrested. During the operation of braking, as above described, the wheels E E are slightly raised above the rails G G by the slotted yokes h h, which are attached to the beam H and the body of the car, as shown in Fig. 2. During such braking operation the end wheels E E still remain in their normal positions on the rails, so as to prevent the car from being derailed.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation of my invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim 1. A car-brake device, consisting ofa beam suspended from the car body, and having yokes adapted to receive a pair of car-wheel axles, combined with brake-shoes, links intermediate the latter and the beam, vertically-adjustable supporting-levers, pivotally connected to said brake shoes, a pressurehead resting on the brake-shoe, a pressurescrew for forcing the brake-shoes against the track, and means for locking the brake device in its raised inoperative position substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. A car-brake device, consisting of a'support attached to the car-body, and verticallyadjustable brake-shoes, suspended fromsaid support, in combination with adjustable links interposed between said brake-shoe and support, means for locking and releasing said brake relative to its support and a pressurescrew for forcing the brake-shoe against the as and for the purpose links, in combination with hangers M, M,vertically adjustable relative to said support and pivotally connected to the brake-shoes, horizontally-adjustable lockingplates N, N, a stationary retainer-plate O, and a pressure device for forcing the brake-shoes against the track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADDISON S. HODGES. Witnesses:

ALBAN ANDRI JN, LAURITZ N. MoLLER. 

